Current economic situation challenging: Union Minister Sadananda Gowda
Bengaluru, Sep 12: Union Minister D V SadanadaGowda Gowda on Thursday said the current economic situation in the country was "challenging", but expressed the hope that the measures taken by the union government to address it would see India quickly progress ahead 'in a very short time.'
"In 2008-09 also we had seen global slowdown, but during the time of economic slowdown, the measures taken by the administrative machinery is important as it plays a crucial role.
I agree that our GDP, that was 8.2 per cent, has now come down to five per cent. This is certainly a challenge for the administration," Gowda said.
Pointing out that the union government has taken a slew of measures to address the situation like for the automobile sector,infusion of funds to banks and addressing of liquidity issues concerning MSMEs, he said these were to address the "notion of financial instability".
"Because of several such reform measures, in a very short time we will progress ahead," he said, noting that in the past too India had faced even more challenging times, but the country has "come back".
Gowda was addressing a press conference here to showcase the hundred days' achievement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi led NDA 2 government.
The more the employment is generated, the further push it would give to the financial sector, the Minister said and pointed out that the government was also giving an impetus to self-employment through schemes like Mudra loan.
To a question on the delay in release of central funds for Karnataka that was hit by incessant rains and floods, Gowda, who hails from the state, said it would be released at the earliest, but did not specify any time-frame.
SDRF funds to be released in December has already been released, he said, as he clarified that the Centre has not released any flood relief funds to any affected state so far.
"All major work for restoration and rehabilitation will only start once the rain stops.For immediate rescue and relief work, the state is using available funds," he said, as he expressed confidence that central funds would also be released at the earliest.
As many as 103 taluks in 22 districts were affected by the recent floods in many parts of Karnataka and the government has sought Rs 38,000 crore as relief from the Centre.
Rejecting the charges of the opposition and a section of the public that union Ministers and MPsfrom Karnataka "lack courage" to question the Prime Ministeron the "delay" in granting central relief,Gowda said "it is far from the truth."
He pointed out that during every cabinet meeting on Wednesdays, Ministerscan raise issues concerning their states with the Prime Minister directly.
"Last week also I had shared with him the information I had gathered from Karnataka On the situation in the affected areas."
BJP governments at both the centre and the state have been facing flak from the opposition Congress and JDS on the "delay" in grant of central funds, despite Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman visiting the affected regions.
The Opposition parties have accused the Modi government of showing its "apathy" towards Karnataka, despite the state sending 25 BJP MPs.
To a question on criticism of the steep fine amounts under the amended MV Act, Gowda said the intention behind the act was to control accidents and protect lives, but states can change it as they are the implementing authority.
He referred to Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari's recent statement on the matter that accidents have drastically reduced after implementation of the act and new fines.
Gowda, the Minister for Chemicals and Fertiliserssaid his ministry has no plans to set up any new fertiliser plant.
The government was reviving four fertiliser plants at Ramagundam, Sindri, Barauni and Gorakhpur at a cost of Rs 15,000 crore and once operational, "we will able to fulfill the 22 per cent that we are importing right now," he said.
Noting that many private players have evinced interest in setting up fertilizer plants, he said the Karnataka state Marketing Federation has come forward to invest Rs 6,000 crore for a plant in Davangere and they were also in talks with a private player.
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Indian visa application centre suspended indefinitely in Bangladesh's Chattogram
Dhaka (PTI): India on Sunday suspended visa operations at its mission in Bangladeshi port city of Chattogram until further notice, according to media reports.
The move comes in the wake of a fresh wave of unrest witnessed in the country following the death of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi.
His death triggered attacks and vandalism across Bangladesh, including stone-hurling at the Assistant Indian High Commissioner's residence in Chattogram on Thursday.
Hadi, a prominent leader of the student-led protests last year that led to the ouster of the prime minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, was a candidate for the scheduled February 12 general elections.
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He was shot in the head on December 12 by masked gunmen at an election campaign in central Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area and died while undergoing treatment in Singapore on December 18.
“Due to the recent security incident at Assistant High Commission of India (AHCI) Chittagong, Indian visa operations at IVAC Chittagong (Chattogram) will remain suspended from 21/12/2025 until further notice,” the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) said in a brief statement.
The announcement for reopening the visa centre will be made after reviewing the situation, the statement added. The decision came into effect on Sunday.
There are five IVAC facilities across Bangladesh at Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Chattogram and Sylhet. An IVAC official told PTI that the other four offices have remained operational as of Sunday.
India on Thursday resumed operations at its visa application centre in Dhaka, a day after closing it over escalated security concerns, but closed for a brief period two other identical facilities in Rajshahi and Khulna as anti-India protestors tried to march towards the Indian missions there.
On Saturday, security was strengthened at the Indian Assistant High Commission office and the visa application centre in Bangladesh's Sylhet city.
The enhanced security measures were put in place to ensure that “no third party can exploit the situation,” Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) of the Sylhet Metropolitan Police Saiful Islam was quoted as saying by The Dhaka Tribune newspaper on Saturday.
Hadi, 32, was laid to rest on Saturday amid extra-tight security beside the grave of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam near the Dhaka University mosque.
Tens of thousands of people attended the funeral prayers, and ahead of the ritual, chanted anti-India slogans like “Delhi or Dhaka - Dhaka, Dhaka” and “brother Hadi’s blood will not be allowed to go in vain.”
Earlier on December 17, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned Bangladesh envoy Riaz Hamidullah and conveyed its strong concern over certain extremist elements announcing plans to create a security situation around the Indian mission in Dhaka.
“We expect the interim government to ensure the safety of Missions and Posts in Bangladesh in keeping with its diplomatic obligations,” it said.
The envoy was apprised of India's strong concerns about the deteriorating security environment in Bangladesh, it added.
